breadline britain - cheap fresh healthy food IS possible

following the guardian stories on families in recession and some on the relyted MN threads e.g. here and was thinking that actually is possible to feed a family of 4 decently enough for five pounds without resorting to ready meals.

What I cook:a tin of tomatoes, an onion and some cheap dried herbs with cheap pasta can feed a family with enough change left over for some cheese to sprinkle over??

a few boiled potatoes and carrots and a dash of milk makes fresh mash. add frozen peas and frozen herbs and you are still under five pounds.

If you have the time, ability and orgnisational skills, then yes it is possible to live cheaply and healthy.

I once stood in the queue behind a woman in a chemist. She was buying prescription medicine. I live in Belgium and medicine can be very expensive, but you can have a card from the pharmacy to get money off. The woman in front of me had learning difficulties and didn't understand the card system and therefore did not take advantage of it, and paid full price for her prescription.

She also had a heavy limp, and limped across the road to the corner shop where she did what looked like her main shop of the week. The corner shop of course is one of the most expensive ways of buying food, but what choice did she have?

It's people like her who suffer the most in recessions - people who find it difficult if not impossible to travel to the cheapest shops and find the best offers.